The Philadelphia 76ers didn’t have the ideal start to the season and had a 5-15 record in their first 20 games of the 2024-25 NBA season. Their losing trend was mostly caused by the injuries their star players like Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey have all experienced.
Fortunately for the Sixers, they’ve gradually improved their record and have won seven games with a healthy Big 3 on the court. On Sunday, Philly’s star trio all suited up to play against the Chicago Bulls and had a 108-100 record.
Embiid played 31 minutes in his first game back since missing seven straight games due to his left knee injury management. The Cameroonian big man recorded 31 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocks in his first game back. His All-Star teammate, Paul George, played his second straight game on Sunday and had 12 points and seven rebounds in 34 minutes of action.
On Thursday, former NBA player Chandler Parsons addressed Philly’s situation with their Big 3. During an episode of “Run It Back,” Parsons said the star trio’s health will help the team improve their record.
“This is a team that we had high hopes for,” Parsons said. “That was all based on health. That was Paul George being healthy, that was Joel Embiid being healthy, even not playing back-to-backs, just giving him some sort of goof minutes.”
“The teams above them, the Pistons, I think the Sixers are better,” he continued. “The Bulls, I think they’re better. The Pacers, the Nets. They are right there to be able to kinda get in that fold to make things happen… They’re in a tricky situation but it comes down to health. It comes down to Joel Embiid, can he get through this injury? I don’t know if he can, I think it’s more serious than what’s left to believe.”
"If you can keep Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey on the floor; like @ChandlerParsons just said, (the 76ers) can put themselves back in position with a good month. This is a week. … Brooklyn, Indiana, the Bulls and Detroit, I don't trust any of 'em." – @TeamLou23 pic.twitter.com/s8iizTCfu8
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) December 12, 2024
The Philadelphia 76ers will be back in action on Friday, against the Indiana Pacers. In the injury list they’ve submitted, Philly only have Caleb Martin listed as out.
Which player did most of the work for the Philadelphia 76ers?
While the star trio was sidelined due to injuries, one player stood out for the Philadelphia 76ers. Rookie guard Jared McCain did most of the offensive work and was a starter for seven consecutive games. During the stretch of games he was a starter, McCain averaged 23.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists.
Because of the star players’ absence, McCain has increased his chances at winning the Rookie of the Year award.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
